The second annual Nintendo Fusion Tour forced attendees to choose between the alternative and punk-rock bands in the House of Blues on Sunday, and the latest GameCube releases available just outside. But it was clear from the number of thick-rimmed emo glasses present that the music was definitely the main attraction.
Notably absent from the game selections were demos for highly anticipated titles like Metroid Prime 2 and Resident Evil 4. Instead, recently released games like Pikmin 2 and Terminator 3 were the highlights, with a few samples of the yet-to-be-seen-by-the-public Paper Mario 2 and Mario Pinball thrown in for good measure. The games served as little more than diversions to keep those too young to visit the bar at the all-ages show occupied during the 10- to 20-minute intermissions between sets.
Letter Kills started the show energetically, before the lead singer executed an impressive stage dive, prompting announcements from the House of Blues throughout the rest of the evening that such behavior would not be tolerated.
The music got edgier as My Chemical Romance took over the reigns, belting out aggressive songs like "I'm Not Okay." The crowd's energy continued to rise as Lostprophets took the stage with a number of emo-core hits off their new Start Something album, including "Wake Up."
But headliner Story of the Year was the act everyone was waiting for. After Lostprophets left the stage, fans had to wait 20 minutes while they finished WWE Day of Reckoning on the GameCube backstage. Finally, to an elaborate light show and deafening screams, Story made its entrance. It was more like a kindergarten sing-along than a rock concert, as the crowd joined the band in singing several numbers. After an odd but catchy medley of songs like "Beat It" and "Sweet Home Alabama," Story decelerated for "Sidewalks," their "slow, pansy song." Despite the lapse in energy, they easily resumed the madness with "Until the Day I Die" and a quick encore of "In the Shadows." The show was over by 10:20, leaving fans lots of time to go home and catch up on any game-playing there wasn't time for at the concert.